fasnachts

Fasnachts

Written by Published on in Pa Dutch/Amish, Recipes, Sweet Things
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Known as “Fat Tuesday” in many places, in Pennsylvania Dutch country and the Coal Region it is know as “Fasnacht Day” or “Donut Day” — it occurs on Shrove Tuesday, which begins the traditional 40-day period of fasting and prayer practiced by Christians prior to Easter (famously celebrated as Mardi Gras, the term for Fat Tuesday in French, in New Orleans.

The word Fastnacht originates from the German words “fast”, which is the shortened version of the verb “fasten”, which means “to fast”, and “nacht”, meaning night, indicating the eve of the traditional Lenten fasting.

In PA Dutch country, we celebrate by indulging in eating this deep-fried fasnacht (donut) for good luck and,  traditionally, to clear the animal fat out of the pantry before Lent begins. Fasnachts are made using all remaining supplies of lard, sugar, fat or butter, which were not to be eaten during Lent.

Although every cook has their favorite — and often generations-old — recipe, fasnachts are often made using mashed potatoes. Some are round. Some are square. Some have holes in the middle. Some are yeast raised, others use baking powder as the leavening in the recipe. They can be plain, glazed, or covered in powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar.

Throughout the Coal Region churches, fire companies, schools, scout troops and other organizations sell dozens of fasnachts as a fund-raising opportunity. Many organizations gather volunteers who make their own, often turning out hundreds or thousands of dozen which then get picked up or delivered to those who have placed advanced orders. Many times, these tasty treats will be sold out quickly, so if you have a favorite fasnacht source, always place a timely order!

Many local coal region bakeries sell tremendous numbers of donuts on Fasnacht Day directly to customers through their shops in addition to being the source for many groups who sell the donuts to raise funds but who do not make their own.

This version uses both mashed potatoes and yeast so it will require some rise and wait time when prepping. If you would like a version made with baking soda which works up faster, I suggest using my Crullers recipe from this site.

Fasnachts
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Fasnachts

Recipe by A Coalcracker in the KitchenCourse: DessertsCuisine: Pa. Dutch Coal RegionDifficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

  • Salt

  • 1 and 1/2 cups white sugar (plus more for coating, if desired)

  • 2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

  • 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

  • Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar for dusting as needed, if desired

Directions

  • Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water by 2 inches and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until very tender.
  • Drain potatoes RESERVING 1 and 1/2 cups of the potato cooking water. Drain and mash the potatoes until smooth (do not use milk, butter or other seasoning – just mash the cooked potato). Set the mashed potatoes aside and cool slightly.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, reserved potato cooking water, sugar and yeast. Cover with a towel and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes; it will look foamy.
  • Using a sieve, strain the mixture into a large bowl, smoothing out any lumps. Stir in the eggs and melted butter.
  • Stir 5 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, until a dough starts to form.  Gently knead the remaining 1 cup of flour in until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a large ball. Cover with a towel and put in a warm place to rise for 3 hours.
  • Dust some flour onto a baking sheet. Set aside.
  • On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares or 3 inch rounds. (Squares result in less waste and re-working of dough.) Set on the floured baking sheet. Cover lightly with a towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.
  • Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag or paper towel for draining of the fried fasnachts..
  • In a deep fryer or Dutch oven, pour enough oil to fill no more than halfway up the side. Heat the oil to 365F degrees.
  • Place the fasnachts into the heated oil, two at a time. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer using a slotted spoon or spider to the lined baking sheet to absorb some of the oil.
  • While slightly warm, place the fasnachts into a paper bag with a spoonful of cinnamon sugar and shake gently until well coated or lightly dust powdered sugar on tops. Coating is optional, you may leave some or all plain.